Arrangements for producing useful horticultural mulch have been known and previously proposed, for example from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,908,914; 4,150,796 and 4,169,561; also from West German patent specification No. De-A-3,404,733.
A typical known device or arrangement, as available on the market, or as previously proposed, has a cutting circle of perhaps 100 mm to 150 mm diameter, the blades usually being driven by, for example, an electric motor or other suitable prime mover. Prior art arrangements suffer from a number of disadvantages, even though many are quite expensive to purchase. For example, there is a difficulty in some arrangements, with engaging such an arrangement with a motor mower, and thereafter maintaining the motor mower and mulcher in a predetermined position relative to each other and at a predetermined angle relative to the ground. In a number of cases prior art arrangements frequently become clogged with vegetable matter such as for example leaves or cuttings, particularly when wet. This detracts substantially from the effective use and operation of such arrangements. Further, some arrangements suffer from inadequate means of passing vegetable matter to be mulched from a hopper to the area where the mulching takes place.
It is therefore an object of at least one aspect of this invention to go at least some way towards overcoming or at least minimizing the problems outlined above. Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.